​During a Friday night dinner rush at BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar in November 2017, the restaurant was a madhouse. Amid the chaos was local author Dawn Dugle, observing its inner workings for her book, "The BRAVO! Way: Building a Southern Restaurant Dynasty."

Kimberly Ruffin owns and operates local bakery Kimmiesweett, which she started as a home business around 2008 and expanded with a Northpark Mall storefront in 2017. Now located in Fannin Mart in Brandon, the bakery is growing to offer cake-decorating classes, coffee and more. Photo by Delreco Harris.

​After a chilly spring, at least for Mississippi, the temperature is warming up, which means you're probably going to want something to cool down with, and what better with some local treats? Here are a few businesses that can help.

La Brioche Patisserie introduces Jacksonians to European pastries such as entremet, a French mousse-based cake. Photo by by Anais Eliseeva

​When people walk into La Brioche Patisserie, the scent of coffee and fresh pastries envelops them. Jazz melodies such as "La Javanaise" by Madeleine Peyroux and "Le Temps D'un Jazz" by Daniel Roure play in the background, giving the place a touch of romanticism reminiscent of a classic European pastry shop.

​For the past two years, 30-year-old New Orleans native Mike Mosley has been serving up Cajun-inspired cuisine to Jacksonians and getting widespread acclaim for his culinary creations at 1693 Redzone Grill, where he is the chef and co-owner.

Husband-and-wife duo Alyssa and Jon Bryant created their cottage-food business, Bryant Foods, LLC, in spring 2017 with the goal of providing food options that taste good while still being good for you. Photo courtesy Imani Khayyam

​On a Saturday morning in July, Alyssa and Jon Bryant are setting up at the Mississippi Farmers Market in downtown Jackson to sell a variety of sweet treats, such as chocolate-chip cookies and waffles.

​It's a Thursday night in July around 8:30 p.m., and the lounge section of BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar is packed and full of life as people partake in the restaurant's new daily event, Social Hour.